The Lotus Elan achieved a seamless blend of simplicity and advanced design. Built in a time before collision and emission requirements made cars bigger, heavier, and ugly, the Elan has stood the test of time and is now regarded as one of the purest road going sports cars ever produced. Fitted with a Ford derived 1600cc twin-cam 4 cylinder engine and a close ratio four speed all synchromesh gearbox, and trimmed down to the bare essentials for weight saving, they were a true driver`s car. The Honda S2000 and Mazda Miata both seek to emulate these characteristics of the famous Elan which came 30 years before.

This particular car was fitted at the factory with the very desirable twin Weber carburetors and knock-off wheels. Sold new in California, and last registered for road use in 1982, the current state of the car is can best be described as cosmetically: ready for restoration or use as a rough driver, mechanically; some restoration work done, some remaining.

Many years ago the car saw a repaint from red to its current light metallic green. The repaint was a fair job, appropriate for the cars value at the time. There are a number of paint flaws in the form of nicks and stress cracking from body flex common to these cars. The body is very straight and solid, with no evidence of damage or repair. The black painted bumpers are somewhat weathered, but can be restored. The exterior chrome is shows light pitting throughout. The lenses and Lucas headlight are good, and the window glass, including the windscreen, is excellent.

The interior is unrestored. The factory wheel remains and is nicely recovered. The wood dash will need to be refinished, but is salvageable. All the gauges are stock and generally in very nice condition. The vinyl upholstery on the seats is good, but only fair on the console and door panels. The new owner should plan to replace the simplistic rubber floor mats. The top frame is complete, but the vinyl top and tonneau cover have both seen better days.

The engine and truck compartment are both representative of an older, unrestored car and are in fair condition.

The previous owner rebuilt the brake and clutch hydraulic systems, restored and wheels and mounted new tires while they were off, installed a new battery looked though the Webers in an effort to get the car running. Once at Fantasy Junction, we got the car started briefly, before finding that the water pump needs to be replaced. To get at the water pump we removed the pan and the head. At this time we had Hasselgren Engineering generate an estimate for an engine rebuilt, which totals $7,730 USD. While there is no indication that the lower end needs to be rebuilt, much of the disassembly work to get at it has already been done, making this a convenient time to do so.

The car appears to be mostly complete. We have not yet driven the car as it has not been operable due to the leaking water pump. The new owner should expect several thousands dollars in work on both the mechanical and cosmetic side, but should feel comfortable knowing that they are starting with a straight, solid and sound example.